Military and civig bed-frame



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UNiTED sTATEs PATENTl oEEiJcEQ THOMAS S. LAMBERT, OF PEEKSKILL, NEW YORK.

MILITARY AND CIVIC' :BED-FRAME.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 84,971, dated April 1'5, 17862.

ing had to the accompanying drawings and their letters of reference.

The nature of my invention consists in constructing a strong but light and neat,

portable bed frame with an elastic bottoniv and of variable width with the legs and head supports detachable so that it can be used as a litter, or stretcher in the field, as a slide in an ambulance of any width, as a hospital bed frame, and for single persons in civic life, the bottom also allowing. access to any part of the person of the occupant and being adapted to any desirable position of his body or any part of it. y

To enable those skilled in the appropriate arts to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, Figure l, represents two side pieces made of light strong wood six feet nine inches long and from one and a half to three inches in diameter. They are kept apart by pieces B, C,; B, C, which are held together by the bolts D, which placed in di'erent holes allow the distance between the side pieces A, to be varied at pleasure. The pieces B, C, may be constructed so as to meet in the center between A, and be fastened end to end by a hinge and thus allow variable width. On the surfaces of B, C, toward and against the side pieces A, represented by E, Fig. 2, is a metallic plate with two or more projecting nibs y which fit corresponding holes in plate G, when brought down upon E, by means of the bolt F, and its nut. Gr, is a metallic plate and if necessary made firm by means of a ferrule passed around A, as shown in Fig. 2, and by means of which the cross pieces B, C, can be placed above or below A, by inverting the ferrule.

L represents legs, secured by bolts m, and n, the surface of L, in contact with A, being furnished with a metallic plate like E, Fig. 2, and the corresponding surface of A being furnished with a plate like G with holes in a circle the diameter of which corresponds to the distance of the nibs from each other` on the leg plates so that the leg by means of its-bolt and nut can be placed at any angle or in a line with A and made fast.

O, represents supports if desirable for the head fitted to A in the same manner as the legs, and in one form of A, may be fastened by the same bolt, as the corresponding leg.

4P represents bands about two or three inches wide passing from one side to the other of the frame composed in part of elastic and in part of nonelastic material. They may be fastened at one extremity in a permanent manner, or at both extremities ving the lposition of the parts supported. OneV or more bands can be removed, or if need be, they can be doubled. If in any case they undesirably tend to slip apart they can be kept in place by a longitudinal balid of either elastic or non-elastic material. The elastic material may be continuous longitudinally for a part of lthe whole length 'of the bed, and may be placed in the center of the cross bands as represented or at or toward either end of them. The space it should occupy in t-he cross band will depend upon 'its strength and tension. From two to siX inches of length will be sufficient for the length of the elastic in ordinary circumstances when unstretched, if it can be stretched to double its length; if its action is more restrained, a greater length must be allowed.

The metallic plates used in the structure had better be made f malleable iron, though common iron will answer.

The form of the pieces, A, and B, C, as well as that of the legs and head supports may be made according to fancy though that given in the drawings allows the greatest strength with the least weight. The pieces A, may also be shortened if the head supports are to be always used, and the legs turned up may be used as handles, if the legs are always to remain attached-and the handles need not then be constructed.

What I claim as iny invention, and desire the crosspieces B, C, and the plates to Which to secure by Letters Patent is. they are attached substantially as set forth.

l. The combination of the elastic 'bandsV x 4. The mode of varying and` fastening the with the nonelastic bands P, substantially head supports and legs in position, in coin- 5 as set forth. bination With the frame, substantially as 15 2. The application of the buckles S, in set forth. combination With the bands for the purpose THOS. S. LAMBERT. of regulating their position and Condition; Witnesses: substantially as set forth. s JOHN S. HOLLINGSHEAD, 10 3. The construction and application of WM. J. MGGOLLAN. n 

